Coffeeshop Blue Sky

Location Details

If you think about it, there are few things the East Bay treats with more reverence and obsession than coffee and marijuana. So in that sense, Blue Sky is something like the platonic realization of what makes Oakland great: a clean, well-kept little storefront that not only sells some of the best and cheapest legal bud around, but is also a full-fledged cafe in its own right, with a full menu of espresso drinks and pastries. Even if it didn't sell weed, this place would be a pleasant little coffeeshop: The drinks are cheap ($1 Americanos!), the walls are painted an adorable/eponymous cloudy design, and the baristas are friendly, if, uh, a little slow. But Blue Sky is, of course, also one of Oaksterdam's most venerable dispensaries, known for its reasonable prices, solid selection, and truly dank selection of edibles (try the caramel popcorn). Best of all, Blue Sky's cafe is open to patients and non-patients alike, meaning cardless plus-ones can grab a drink and sit down while their companions go to the back room — thereby avoiding the loitering-outside awkwardness you get at some other clubs. The entire operation's pretty low-key and unintimidating — according to employees, some people will buy their morning coffee there every day for weeks without figuring out why there's a security guard outside, the pastries are winkingly called "munchies," and all the staff is unbelievably chill. Bonuses: It's close to BART, rarely crowded, and boasts a decent selection of lighters, papers, and other paraphernalia.